LONDON: A new study has pointed out that the Arctic has entered a new era of extreme weather with likely severe consequences for plants, animals and humans living in the region that may also harm its ability to absorb carbon and slow climate change.
Extreme weather events have become significantly more common in the Arctic over recent decades, posing a threat to vital polar ecosystems, according to the research by an international team of scientists.
The Arctic has been observed to warm about three to four times faster than the global average and this rapid warming is also expected to change the frequency and severity of extreme weather events in the region. But this study is the first to comprehensively examine long-term changes in several so-called bioclimatic variables.
Bioclimate refers to climate conditions relevant to living organisms.
The researchers investigated changes spanning more than seven decades, focusing especially on short-lived extreme weather events, the study, published in the journal Science Advances and led by researchers from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, with an international team including the University of Sheffield, said.
The team found that in addition to rising average temperatures, Arctic ecosystems are increasingly experiencing a range of extreme weather events, such as prolonged heatwaves, frost during the growing season, and warm winter spells. The extent and intensity of these changes vary across different parts of the Arctic.
The study shows that in many areas, some of the examined extreme weather events have only begun to appear in the past 30 years, one example being rain-on-snow events.
The researchers identified new regions affected by rain-on-snow events covering more than 10 per cent of the Arctic land area. Rain falling onto snow creates particular challenges for mammals, as it promotes the formation of ice layers within the snowpack. For example, reindeer are then unable to access the lichens they rely on in their winter grazing grounds.